Managing Human Resources During a Crisis

In any company, the Human Resources department plays a vital role in protecting and preserving the human capital of a company. The HR team is critically important during any crisis situation. If HR is not working to ensure the health and safety of your employees during a crisis, a bad situation will get much worse.

Have Team Roles Established Ahead of Time

In order to ensure that HR functions well in the midst of a crisis, it is good to be prepared ahead of time. What jobs does HR need to perform during a crisis? Who specifically is responsible for each task? Is a representative from HR at the table with management for key decisions? If your team knows the answers to these questions and many more in advance of a crisis, you will likely have a better crisis response.

Communicate Details to Key Parties

Your HR department can play a vital role communicating during the crisis. As decisions are being made by your crisis management team, the HR manager can communicate those decisions to your employees. Many times during a crisis, companies worry about external audiences — like the media or government agencies. And while communicating to those groups is vitally important, internal audiences (employees) are sometimes forgotten. Your employees can be a great advocate for your company in a time of crisis, but they have to know what’s going on.

Create a Forum for People to Vent Concerns

During a crisis, your employees are going to have concerns and opinions. You need to listen. The best way to do this is to create a forum so employees can share what’s on their mind. These forums could be face-to-face meetings, an FAQ online, a telephone hotline, and on and on. Give your employees a way to make their voice heard.

Adjust Plan for the Future

As the crisis is unfolding, take note of areas where you believe you could do better. It might be poor decision-making, ineffective communication, or not properly utilizing your resources. Reflect on everything that happened with your management team and then adjust your crisis communications plan for the future.

If you are looking for professional help at any point in the crisis management process, we at Tucker/Hall can help. Our firm has been in business for nearly 30 years. We have experience managing all kinds of crisis situations.

Please contact Darren Richards at 813.228.0652 or via email at drichards@tuckerhall.com to speak with a representative about the services we offer and how to begin a relationship with Tucker/Hall.